Team GB are in the house - at least in a political sense. Just before the Red Arrows roared over the stadium, the VIP balcony filled up with an interesting tableau of British power. At the centre was the Prime Minister taking it all in with Samatha Cameron, along from them were William Hague, the foreign secretary and his wife Ffion Hague. Lord Coe was showing Princess Anne around his new place with broad sweeps of his arms while John Armitt, the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority that built the Olympic park looked patrician. Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, bumbled out just in time to see the jets with his wife Marina Johnson. Former prime minster John Major, and Scottish first minister Alex Salmond stood centre stage. Ed Miliband, doing
nothing to dispel a reputation for awkwardness, stood alone a good five yards along from the rest of them. It was perhaps understandable given the Tory-bias of the balcony. Then Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary arrived, fresh from his bell-ringing blunder, and greeted the Labour leader warmly. All the scene needed was a holy man and out came Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who settled into a
conversation with Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London Games open in style - Sporting Life
The Queen turned Bond girl and some of Britain's greatest Olympians teamed up with young athletes to light the Olympic Stadium flame as the London 2012 Games opened in spectacular fashion on Friday night.
In a block-busting opening ceremony there were moments of humour and emotion and some stunning surprises, not least the unique design of the stadium cauldron, made up of over 200 flames.
Tour de France hero Bradley Wiggins, who within hours will be cycling for Team GB in the men's road race, rang the giant bell which marked the start of the show at the Olympic Stadium.
Wearing a yellow jersey Wiggins, who less than a week ago became the first British man to win the tour, was greeted with huge cheers.
It was the dramatic start of a breathtaking ceremony capturing the best of Britain and masterminded by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle.
The Queen would later begin the greatest sporting show on earth by telling the world: "I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era".
But the Queen's formal contribution to the night was eclipsed by her entrance to the stadium.
In a scene filmed in advance and screened for the first time, James Bond actor Daniel Craig arrives at Buckingham Palace in a dinner jacket, striding past the corgis towards the royal study.
"Good evening Mr Bond," says the Queen, before they leave together, apparently heading towards the Olympic Stadium in a helicopter.
Back in real time, to laughter and delight from the crowd, "the Queen" followed by "Bond", parachuted from a helicopter towards the arena.
Seconds later the real Queen and Prince Philip received a standing ovation as they arrived.
Some details of the Bond stunt had emerged in advance of the £27 million opening ceremony.
But the Queen's role - played to perfection - still left the audience awe-struck both in the stadium and around the world.
"The Queen made herself more accessible than ever before," Boyle said earlier.
Even as the show was going on, there were calls for Boyle to have his own date with the Queen - to receive a knighthood.
In another surprise Rowan Atkinson in his Mr Bean character created comic havoc and loads of laughs as he joined Sir Simon Rattle conducting the theme from Chariots of Fire.
Another tightly-kept secret was how the Olympic torch would make its final journey from central London down the River Thames to the stadium in east London.
The surprise was that it was former England captain David Beckham, who was shown steering a speedboat with young footballer Jade Bailey past Tower Bridge.
The show started simply with the stadium turned into a meadow, a green and pleasant land.
The world's largest harmonically-tuned bell, weighing 23 tonnes and measuring two metres tall and three metres wide, rang to start a Shakespeare-inspired spectacle featuring 900 children from the six east London host boroughs.
The bell stood at one end of the stadium in Stratford, east London, while at the opposite end a version of Glastonbury Tor - a holy hill in south west England - was topped off with a giant oak.
A huge waterwheel stood parallel with the 100 metre finish line where, in just a week's time, the fastest men in the world will race to be named Olympic champion.
Oscar winner Boyle, the man responsible for the the remarkable transformation of the stadium where the athletics will take place, said: "Tonight's a warm-up act for the Games.
"That's one of the things you have to keep remembering.
"You big it up for different reasons, and you hear it bigged up or slammed or whatever it is and you've got to keep remembering we're the warm-up act."
As warm up acts go, it was hot.
A digital 10-second countdown flashed on to the crowd, with balloons popping on each number, and the ceremony began.
The five Olympic rings, attached to four balloons, were released and floated up into the sky, set to reach the stratosphere by the end of the ceremony.
Sir Kenneth Branagh, dressed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, entered the scene reciting Caliban's speech from Shakespeare's The Tempest as some 62,000 spectators saw Boyle's spectacular Isles of Wonder unveil.
In sharp contrast, the pounding of the drums began, ushering in Britain's industrial revolution as the stadium darkened and the atmosphere changed.
Pandemonium broke out, with the peaceful countryside torn to pieces as the age of industry sprouted from the ground, with banging so loud the audience felt their seats vibrate.
A cast of hundreds swarmed on to the centre of the arena as the darker, grimier, urban landscape emerged, with giant smoking chimneys rising up from the ground.
Suddenly, everything stopped as silence descended for a moment to remember the fallen.
A poppy field was revealed at one side of the stadium as a sense of calm prevailed while the audience stood to remember the dead.
A vigorously upbeat tone greeted hundreds of dancing nurses and their young patients on 320 luminous hospital beds in a celebration of the National Health Service.
Staff and patients from the world-famous Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) were given a special cheer as the hospital's name was spelt out by the beds.
Musician Mike Oldfield played Tubular Bells as one young girl read beneath the bedsheets in a tribute to the world of children's literature.
In a rare public appearance, Harry Potter author JK Rowling started the tale of JM Barrie's Peter Pan as Boyle's "Second to the right, and straight on 'til morning" segment got under way.
A memorial wall on the stadium screens was one of the touching moments of the ceremony, showing images of spectators' loved ones who have passed away, including the late fathers of Boyle and Olympics supremo Lord Coe.
Dancers dressed in red, representing the struggle between life and death, were picked out by a spotlight in the darkness of the stadium as the clear powerful vocals of Emeli Sande pierced the air with Abide With Me.
Then the athletes arrived, first those from Greece, birthplace of the games.
Usain Bolt led out the Jamaican team, drawing a massive cheer from the crowd.
But that was dwarfed by the ticker tape reception for Sir Chris Hoy, Britain's flagbearer, as Team GB became the last of the nations to enter the stadium.
Four-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris said: "I don't think any of us were expecting it to be this good."
Then came the final surprise as Britain's greatest Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave ran into the stadium holding the torch to be greeted by seven young athletes each nominated by himself and British Olympic heroes Lynn Davies, Duncan Goodhew, Dame Kelly Holmes, Dame Mary Peters, Shirley Robertson and Daley Thompson.
The teenagers were Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds and Adelle Tracey, and they each lit one of the copper petals which had been brought into the stadium with the teams.
Within moments over 200 of the petals were ablaze and rose up to form a spectacular cauldron.
Source: www.sportinglife.com
Kent Desormeaux puts past behind him, returns to riding with Dullahan on Sunday - New York Daily News
SARATOGA SPRINGS — For Kent Desormeaux, the past is behind him, yet there is something that stays with him every day.
The 42-year-old jockey recently completed an alcohol abuse program on Long Island and is back, concentrating on riding, including being reunited with Dullahan in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
“I’m doing fantastic,” he said Thursday. “That’s all behind me. It was like removing a cast.”
Desormeaux, for the second time in his career, failed a breathalyzer test at Belmont Park on May 18, and that cost him the mount aboard Dullahan in the Belmont Stakes, and on Tiger Walk in the Preakness.
It was a wake-up call for Desormeaux, who entered the program on his own, and it’s also something he doesn’t want to talk about.
“No. I’ve handled that situation,” he said. “It’s the past. It’s something I’m trying to erase. Now I just want to concentrate on winning races.”
It’s been a slow start at Saratoga. Desormeaux is winless from just five mounts, but he’s looking forward to Sunday, when he gets back aboard Dullahan, a colt he’s won two Grade I races aboard the Futurity Stakes at Churchill Downs last fall and the Blue Grass Stakes earlier this year at Keeneland and finished third in the Kentucky Derby.
After Dullahan finished a bad seventh as the favorite in the Belmont Stakes on June 9 under Javier Castellano, Desormeaux hopes for more in the Haskell.
“I think he just missed his friend Kent Desormeaux,” said the jockey. “Horses become familiar with their regular rider. He knows it’s time to fly when I get aboard him. We have that relationship.”
Dullahan (3-1) is the co-second choice along with Gemologist. Belmont Stakes runnerup Paynter (3-2) is the 3-2 favorite in the mile-and-an-eighth race.
“(Desormeaux) seems to have gotten his things together,” said Dale Romans, who trains Dullahan. “He’s done what he’s had to do. He seems sharp and ready to work every morning. We’re glad to have him back.”
-- Jockey John Velazquez rode his first winner of the meet when Artest ($12) rallied from off the pace to take the $100,000 Quick Call Stakes by a length and a half.
-- The New York Racing Association suffered its first fatality at Saratoga when Regal Citizen broke down while galloping out after finishing seventh in the seventh race. The 3-year-old filly was euthanized on the track.
-- Post time for Friday is 2:30 p.m., with a “Party at the Spa” afternoon.
Source: www.nydailynews.com
London 2012 Olympics: Day one's must-see moments - BBC News
Can Mark Cavendish win Great Britain's opening gold medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games?
Here are Saturday's events to watch out for (all times BST):
- ROAD CYCLING (10:00-16:00): Mark Cavendish, men's road race - schedule
Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, has said he hopes to "light the fire" for the GB team over 250km of tarmac, finishing on The Mall.
The 27-year-old won last year's Olympic test event, over a shorter version of the course, and is the reigning world champion.
- SWIMMING (11:17-11:49): Hannah Miley, women's 400m individual medley - schedule
Scotland's Miley, 22, is Britain's other big medal hope on day one. She enters this event as the world silver medallist and is ranked third-fastest in the world this year, behind Elizabeth Beisel of the United States and China's Zheng Rong Rong. Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will also be in action.
- SHOOTING (08:15-09:30 qualification, 11:00-11:20 final): First gold medal of the Games - schedule
While Mark Cavendish has been labelled the likely candidate for GB's first gold medal, the first title to be awarded at London 2012 will be the women's 10m air rifle. Jen McIntosh is Britain's entrant, ranked 52nd in the world, with China the favourites to win.
- ARCHERY (09:00-18:26): Chance for GB men's team medal - schedule
Britain's male archers have had an impressive few months in the run-up to London 2012, led by Larry Godfrey. The 36-year-old will be part of a three-man GB entry for the men's team event at Lord's.
- ROWING (09:30-09:50): First heats at Eton Dorney - schedule
Watch out for Heather Stanning and Helen Glover in the GB women's pair, who will be among the first to race as the Olympic rowing events begin in Berkshire.
- GB TEAMS IN ACTION: All times BST - full schedule for the day
Basketball women v Australia 22:15, football women v Cameroon 17:15, handball women v Montenegro 19:30, volleyball women v Russia 14:45.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: Who will light the torch at the Opening Ceremony? - Daily Telegraph
So in the interests of nothing more than provoking a debate, here Telegraph Sport takes a look at five possible people to light the Olympic flame:
An Olympic great
For weeks the identity of the cauldron lighter seems to have been a clear case of Sir Steve Redgrave v Daley Thompson. Two of Britain's greatest Olympians, the pair have been somewhat provoked into having a slanging match of sorts over who is the more worthy candidate to fulfil the role. However, recent days have seen a new candidate emerge and soar to the head of the betting – Sir Roger Bannister. The first man to run a sub-four minute mile, Bannister never actually won an Olympic medal but such is the swell of support for the 83-year-old that some bookmakers have stopped taking bets on him being given the honour.
A royal
The Queen, Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ... Pippa Middleton. Britain's most popular exports are its royals and what better than to give Queen Elizabeth II the honour of lighting the Olympic flame in her Diamond Jubilee year? Well, according to a poll conducted by Riviera Radio – an English radio station in France and Monaco – Pippa Middleton would be far better. The Duchess of Cambridge's sister, who is best known for her posterior which first came to the public's attention when she wore 'that dress', came top with 39 per cent of the vote ahead of Redgrave and David Beckham. However, one suspects the result may say more about the sanity of Britain's expats than anything else.
A global icon
Why choose between incomparable Olympic greats when you can bring them all together in the same stadium? Rather than having just one person to light the flame, there have been murmurs that five athletes might be involved to symbolise the five rings of the Olympic movement. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali is in London and is expected to play a role during the ceremony while Beckham, whose Team GB football snub prompted an outcry of national disbelief, has confirmed he will take part at some point in the show. Away from the world of sport, one of the global figures mentioned as a possible person to play a role in the lighting is Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
A local youngster
When London first announced its bid to stage the Olympics back in 2004, the 600-page proposal was delivered to members of the International Olympic Committee at Lausanne by 14-year-old East Londoner Amber Charles. The message was clear – a London Olympics would ensure a lasting legacy for young people. Thousands of free tickets to Olympic events have been given to schoolchildren (which has nothing to do with poor football ticket sales in Wales and Scotland) and many local schools will be taking part in the Opening Ceremony itself. Do not be surprised if the cauldron lighting role is handed to a 3ft-tall child from Stratford who was born on the day that London won the Games.
A big surprise
When asked last week whether he thought Redgrave or Thompson should light the Olympic flame, Sir Matthew Pinsent said he expected neither to perform the role and for the emphasis to be placed on spectacle rather than personality. A bow and arrow soared high into the sky at Barcelona 1992 and a former gymnast ran horizontally along the top of the stadium at Beijing 2008. Olympic torch lightings are usually remembered for the spectacle of the event rather than the person involved. So will we see the flame lit by a giant robotic Routemaster bus? Will Keith Chegwin run up a mountain of black London taxis? Or will Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po reform the Teletubbies to perform the honour?
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Nurse who failed to spot a pensioner had suffered a stroke for EIGHT HOURS is not struck off - Daily Mail
- Nurse was supposed to check on patient regularly but checked her only at 9pm and 5.25am the next day
- He made no record of patient's care
- Admitted wiping another patient down with bed sheet soaked in her own urine
- Council said ban would not be 'proportionate'
- Nurse now works in a care home
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Nsengiyaremye now works in a care home and must undertake regular supervision sessions
A nurse who failed to notice an elderly woman had suffered a stroke for more than eight hours has avoided being struck off.
Thaddee Nsengiyaremye missed making nine vital checks overnight as the patient recovered from a hip operation.
He ignored her for several hours as she fell unconscious, her pulse dropped alarmingly and her arms went limp.
When Nsengiyaremye finally checked on her, more than eight hours after the last observation, he did not realise she had suffered a stroke and waited more than half an hour to call for help.
He admitted a string of charges against him when he appeared at a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing in central London.
But the panel ruled he could continue in the profession because there was no evidence of ‘general incompetence’.
Nsengiyaremye will have to work under supervision and undertake further training over the next 18 months.
Panel chair David Flinter said: ‘A conditions of practice order will sufficiently address the panel’s concerns and adequately protect the public.
‘We have seen records of your supervision sessions in your current employment, which indicate improvement in your clinical practice.
‘There is no evidence of general incompetence.’
Nsengiyaremye was working a night shift at the Sussex Orthopaedic NHS Treatment Centre in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, on April 19, 2010, when he took charge of caring for the woman, referred to as Patient B.
His boss Michelle Hailey told the hearing he should have been checking on her regularly as she recovered from a hip operation at the treatment centre.
‘Even if the protocol is not being properly followed, you would expect someone who has just come out of surgery to have regular observations’, she said.
He was expected to make hourly checks until 2.30am and two-hourly observations after that.
But Nsengiyaremye actually checked on her just once, at 9pm, before finding her critically unwell at 5.25am.
'There was nothing done by the registrant at 8pm, he carried out observations at 9pm, and then nothing is done by him from 10pm until 6pm,' said Joanna Dirmikis, for the NMC.
'He ought to have been carrying out hourly observations until 2.30am.'
The hearing was told the woman had a weak pulse, high blood pressure, and her breathing was abnormal when Nsengiyaremye checked on her at 5.25am.
But instead of immediately calling for a doctor, he went to collect a machine to carry out more tests.
When the ambulance was finally called, at 6am, the patient was rushed to the Princess Royal Hospital opposite for emergency treatment.
The nurse was working at Sussex Orthopaedic NHS Treatment Centre in Haywards Heath
Mr Flinter said giving Nsengiyaremye a ban would not be proportionate or helpful.
'The conduct was serious and not isolated, but areas of retraining have been identified’, he said.
'We have concluded it would not be proportionate to suspend you and deprive you of the opportunity to address the concerns about your practice.'
Nsengiyaremye admitted all the charges against him, including not making a record of his care of patient B until he was ordered to by Ms Hailey more than 10 hours after his shift had finished.
He was also found to have not made vital records of a patient’s fluid levels during the shift.
The registered nurse further admitted a previous incident when he wiped a patient with a bed sheet soaked in her own urine and refusing to give her a bath.
The woman rang the bell for her bedpan to be changed while Nsengiyaremye was working on November 9, 2009, but he was slow to respond.
When he finally arrived, Nsengiyaremye was aggressive towards the patient, refused to change her urine-soaked gown, and wiped her down with the dirty bed sheet he had just stripped off the bed.
Nsengiyaremye now works in a care home and must undertake regular supervision sessions, as well as adhering to a training plan relating to infection control, medication administration, record keeping, and recognition of clinical treatment.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
10cc return to Kent with 40th anniversary tour - Kent News
10cc
Joe Bill, Features Reporter
Friday, July 27, 2012
9:41 AM
The 1970’s icons kick off their tour in Canterbury
Following a hugely successful nine-date major venue tour earlier in the year, legendary ‘70s pop band 10cc have announced their 40th anniversary tour will be heading to Kent.
The tour kicks off on Thursday 11 October at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre before heading to Dartford’s Orchard Theatre on Saturday, October 13 and Tumbridge Wells’ Assembly Hall Theatre on Sunday, October 14.
Having sold more than 15 million albums in the UK and 30 million worldwide, 10cc are celebrating an incredible 40 years in the music business.
Founding member Graham Gouldman said: “It’s hard to believe it’s 40 years since 10cc was born in Strawberry Studios in Stockport. I’m immensely proud of all we have achieved. As long as the fans want to hear the songs played live I’ll be happy to oblige.”
Noted for their studio polish, virtuoso musicianship, impeccable vocals and clever lyrics their style was soon dubbed ‘art pop’,
10cc earned critical respect and public acclaim for such singles as Donna (1972), Rubber Bullets (1973), The Dean and I (1973) and Wall Street Shuffle (1974), which showcased the band members’ talents as musicians, singers, songwriters and masters of the studio.
With 11 Top 10 UK singles to their name - including No 1 hits I’m Not In Love (1975) and Dreadlock Holiday (1978).
The live line-up, together now for 10 years, features Graham Gouldman, Rick Fenn, Paul Burgess, Mick Wilson and Mike Stevens.
Gouldman added: “The band, as it stands now is absolutely fantastic. And of course our main strength and what we’re selling is the songs, nothing else,” says Gouldman, “This is as near as you’re ever going to get to hearing the perfect 10cc. Hit after hit after hit. It’s relentless. We show no mercy.”
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
Hereford and Folkestone racecourses forced to close down - Daily Telegraph
”We've been is discussions with Shepway Council until fairly recently and were unsure what we were doing. We didn't want to announce one and then, a week or two later, announce the other.”
He added that N&A Racing had made numerous attempts to extend the lease with Herefordshire County Council - to no avail. “Whoever has owned the lease has had to support it for a long time,” he explained. “We hope Folkestone is only temporary. Obviously we regret these actions as each racecourse means a lot of different things to a lot of people.”
Kelly also went out of his way to explain that no more courses (15 in total) in their group faced closure, not even Worcester, which hit the headlines because of a trainers' boycott recently.
”Unequivocally we are not planning to close any more,” he said. “Worcester has been the subject of a rent review arbitration recently, which has gone massively in our favour, and that is good news for the course and us.”
The last course to close was Great Leighs in 2009 and before that Stockton (or Teeside as it was previously called) in 1981. The closure of Hereford, where racing was first staged in 1771, and Folkestone, where it began in 1898, will reduce the total courses in Britain to 58.
Though people used to joke about hoping that the Channel Tunnel would come up in the middle of the course when it was being planned, the dual purpose track is the only racecourse in Kent. Likewise Hereford will be much missed by the local community, which supported it through thick and thin but, clearly, in not large enough numbers to make it viable.
Most racing people will have happy memories of both courses. I rode my first official winner at Hereford - the other I'd won in the stewards' room - and won a hunterchase there on West Tip shortly before Richard Dunwoody got back on him to finish second in the 1989 Grand National. My sister Gee might not be so disappointed to see it close. She broke both wrists there when her mount ran out and jumped some iron railings on to a main road.
Hereford has six remaining fixtures this season, Folkestone nine. After that the fixtures will not be lost but transferred to other tracks within the group. That will be of no conmsolation to the loyal local supporters of both courses.
s the heatwave arrives, the cold chill of economic reality has finally hit racing.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
What I can't understand is why the nursing auxiliary/healthcare asssitant did not carry out the patient observations. I work as a hospital auxiliary and always make such that I carry out the appropriate post operation observations on all patients.
- Jen, Bournemouth, UK, 27/7/2012 19:36
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